Search

Search bills, members, committees and pages...

Sign In

H.R. 8597

U.S. House•In House Committee

Summary

H.R. 8597, the Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act, was introduced in the House on Apr 30, 2026 by Rep. Nicholas Begich (R) with 3 co-sponsors. It was referred to Transportation And Infrastructure, and last saw action on Apr 30, 2026: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Record

Text

H.R. 8597 has 3 co-sponsors.

hb8597/introduced-in-house.txt
119 HR 8597 IH: Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-04-30
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 8597  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   April 30, 2026   Mr. Begich  (for himself,  Ms. Gillen , and  Ms. King-Hinds ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure    A BILL
To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to acquire and install certified airborne position reference tools at air traffic control towers, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act  .
2.
Improvements to air traffic situational awareness
(a)
Airborne position reference tool installation
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall acquire and install certified Airborne Position Reference Tools at air traffic control towers of the Federal Aviation Administration that are—
(1)
operating under contract with the Federal Aviation Administration pursuant to section 47124 of title 49, United States Code; and
(2)
not equipped with Standard Terminal Automation Replacement Systems or other situational awareness tools.
(b)
Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System installation and maintenance
Section 47124(f)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
(2)
Installation and maintenance
For any tower operated under the Contract Tower Program that is not equipped with Standard Terminal Automation Replacement Systems or other situational awareness tools as of the date of enactment of the  Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act , not later than 1 year after such date, the Secretary shall purchase a Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System, or any equivalent system, and install and maintain such system using services directly from an original equipment manufacturer or services of the Federal Aviation Administration.
 .
(c)
Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System funding
Section 47124(f)(3) of title 49, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
in subparagraph (B), by inserting  and  after the semicolon; and
(2)
by striking subparagraphs (C) through (E) and inserting the following:
(C)
shall establish, in consultation with contract tower operators, an appropriate training program to periodically train air traffic controllers employed by such operators to ensure proper and efficient integration and use of the situational awareness equipment and technology described in paragraph (1) into contract tower operations.
 .
(d)
Retroactivity
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Transportation shall provide to any airport sponsor or air traffic control tower described in subsection (a)—
(1)
reimbursement for any certified situational awareness system (including Airborne Position Reference Tools in accordance with subsection (a)) that was independently acquired and installed prior to the date on which the Administrator installs any such system under subsection (a); or
(2)
reimbursement or retroactive grant funding in accordance with section 47124(b) of title 49, United States Code, for any certified situational awareness system (including a Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System) that was independently acquired and installed prior to the effective date of the amendments made by subsection (b).
(e)
Authorized expenditures for air navigation facilities and equipment
Section 48101(c) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(10)
The acquisition, installation, and annual operating expenses of certified Airborne Position Reference Tools at air traffic control towers that are operating under contract with the Federal Aviation Administration under section 47124 and are not equipped with Standard Terminal Automation Replacement Systems or other situational awareness tools.
 .

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2026-04-30
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to acquire and install certified airborne position reference tools at air traffic control towers, and for other purposes.

Sponsors

Rep. Nicholas Begich (R) sponsors H.R. 8597, and 3 members have co-sponsored it, 2 of them from the day it was introduced.

Committees

H.R. 8597 went before 1 committee: Transportation and Infrastructure.

Transportation and Infrastructure
Transportation and Infrastructure
Referred To · Apr 30, 2026 · 156 Bills

Actions

H.R. 8597 has taken 2 actions since Apr 30, 2026.

ChamberAction
Apr 30, 2026
House
Introduced in House
Apr 30, 2026
House
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Votes

H.R. 8597 has not gone to a roll call.

1 bill is related to H.R. 8597, as Identical bill.

Titles

H.R. 8597 goes by 3 titles, 1 of them short titles.

  • Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act — Display Title
  • To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to acquire and install certified airborne position reference tools at air traffic control towers, and for other purposes. — Official Title as Introduced
  • Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced

Lobbying

3 clients hired 3 firms and 14 registered lobbyists who named H.R. 8597 in 3 quarterly filings, 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.

Filed under Aviation/Airlines/Airports, Education, Homeland Security, Taxation/Internal Revenue Code, Banking, Budget/Appropriations.

Clients

Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.

ClientBusinessStateFirmsFilingsReported
ALASKA AIRLINES INC—District of Columbia11—
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF AIRPORT EXECUTIVES—Virginia11—
REGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATION—District of Columbia11—

Firms

Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.

RegistrantClientsFilingsReported
ALASKA AIRLINES, INC.11—
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF AIRPORT EXECUTIVES11—
REGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATION11—

Lobbyists

Named on the filings that cite the bill.

LobbyistFirmsClientsFilings
AMANDA WANT111
BRADLEY VAN DAM111
HANNAH GENOVESE111
JAMES HUDDLESTON111
JOEL BACON111
JUSTIN BARKOWSKI111
KAREN KUHLMAN111
KATE GELDAKER111
MARGARET CUMMISKY111
MEGAN EISENSTEIN111
MEGAN OUELLETTE111
STEPHANIE GUPTA111
TODD HAUPTLI111
WILLIAM JACOBY LEMOS111

Filings

The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.

ClientRegistrantPeriodReportedDocument
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF AIRPORT EXECUTIVESAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF AIRPORT EXECUTIVES2026 second_quarter$1.2M2nd Quarter - Report
ALASKA AIRLINES INCALASKA AIRLINES, INC.2026 second_quarter$500K2nd Quarter - Report
REGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATIONREGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATION2026 second_quarter$100K2nd Quarter - Report

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 8597 under Transportation and Public Works, one of its 31 policy areas.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 8597’s is Transportation and Public Works.

hr8597/policy-areas.txt
Transportation and Public WorksAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationWater Resources Development

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 8597, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 76 (Thursday, April 30, 2026)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. BEGICH:H.R. 8597.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article 1 Section 8[Page H3332]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com